There was a great sage called Uddalaka. He had a son by name Svetaketu. Sage Uddalaka is said to have systematised the Vedic and Upanishad thoughts. Many Mahavakyas are attributed to Sage Uddalaka. Among those, “Tat Tvam Asi” shines in the Chandogya Upanishad, which is a part of the Sama Veda. The teacher is Uddalaka and the student Svetaketu, his son, engaged in a profound ATMA JNANA. To let Svetaketu understand “TAT TVAM ASI” "You are that," or "That you are," Sage Uddalaka uses some analogies. Let us know what they are one by one:
Firstly Sage Uddalaka wants his son Svetaketu to know what happens to individual consciousness when it merges with Absolute consciousness. This is clearly explained using an analogy. Honeybees collect the nectar from various flowers and convert it into a jelly and by process of regurgitation store it in hive. This jelly formed is what is called honey. Now honey includes the nectar of thousands of variety of flowers. Though honey is a mix of the nectar from various flowers, it is very difficult to identify the nectar of one flower from that of another. The nectar of all flowers has become one and they are presently called honey. The individuality of nectar of each flower is absent. There is a total consciousness of the honey, but no individual consciousness of the particular nectar of the flowers. The bees have eliminated the individuality of all these flowers and merged them into a single amalgamation called honey. This is what happens to all individuals when they merge with Absolute. The nectar of the flowers does exist in the honey but they will not be aware of thoughts such as, “I am Rose”, “I am Jasmine” and so on. Exactly the same way when individuals merge with Absolute, though they do not cease to exist, they will not have thoughts such as what they carried as names and forms. All the labels and tags vanish.
The merger of individual consciousness with Absolute consciousness happens in two ways, they are an unconscious access and a conscious access. In deep sleep one has an unconscious merger with the Absolute. Unfortunately he is not aware of it as he just slips into it and does not really get absorbed into it. It becomes as nevertheless like becoming unconscious. There is something that is common between unconsciousness and Absolute consciousness. The common theory is the absence of individual consciousness in both of these states. But there is a remarkable difference. There is similarity no doubt, and yet all know the difference. It is the inability to absorb oneself into that Absolute, as the consciousness is back from that state. Even in death one does not get conscious entry into the Absolute.
We are unable to stay in either condition of deep sleep or death for long, on account of the continuation of the latent form of subtle impressions of unsatisfied desires or deeds to come back to waking consciousness, in this body when one wakes up from sleep, or into another body when we takes rebirth after death. Suppose I have tilled half of my agricultural land and have gone to sleep and have merged into Absolute in deep sleep, I have to come back from the merger to wake stage and till the other half of the land. Isn’t it so????
This Absolute Consciousness is the Self of all. One may be aware or not is a different matter. But it is behind all our actions, sleep, birth and death, and also behind process of cosmic evolution. It is this Self that is caught into the turmoil of cycles of birth and death. This will cease when everything is ultimately resolved through enquiry and meditation into that Supreme Consciousness, which is called liberation. This is conscious access into the Absolute, as against the unconscious access in deep sleep and death.
“Svetaketu, "TAT TVAM ASI" You are That, Self” tells the father, Uddalaka. But Svetaketu is not satisfied. So, Father Udalaka says he will give another analogy.
What is the next analogy???? ……. Coming in the next blog!!!!!
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